Triathlon people where are you?

[Igottastartthinkingbee]

Anyone fancy doing a triathlon training thread? Sprint or Olympic or GOTri or Ironman or whatever? Compare training, schedules, competitions and the mega kit fest that is triathlon.

There have been a couple of threads in the last year or two but they’ve dropped off the radar. Please join me!

Lifeis, I look exactly the same coming out of the lake 😂. I bought them, I figure it may well be the only half I ever do. Did you guys see the lady holding the sign saying "yay, you didn't drown" just after T1? It made me chuckle for the first bit of the bike ride.
No full Ironman's/ ironmen (?) for me, I could barely fit in the training for the half. But I am kind of tempted by signing up for Staffs again next year. How about you all?

Ironmans

I have about 10 photos of me trying to wipe a huge gush of snot away post swim!

I'm contemplating Weymouth 70.3 but I haven't told anyone in real life.
I'm the fittest I've ever been in my life and I'm now 46. I only started training 9 mths ago and I don't want to lose this fitness. I think I need to enter something as motivation to keep fit.
My husband is Spanish and there is an Ironman in Northern Spain....
But no rash online entries: I'll take a couple of easy weeks and then see where my head is at.

Ooh Nate, interesting... Would you do it this year? That would be amazing (and I'm feeling a little jealous just at the thought of it 😀)

😂 love the photo descriptions! My run photos look like I’m barely lifting my feet!!! During the race I was thinking there’s no way I could do a 70.3. I found Leeds so hard but in hindsight I’m not sure I trained hard enough (I fear I may have to drop my training partner as we’ve become further apart in cycling ability this year). Complacency having completed last year maybe?

Glad it’s not just me with the swim pics! I kept seeing a lady holding a sign saying “smile if you peed in the lake” - she was at the lake but also on the run somewhere. And I didn’t pee but I couldn’t help smiling!

I’m the same Nate, I don’t want to lose all the fitness I’ve worked so hard for! I’m fairly local to the Cotswold 113, it’s a 70.3 that also took place yesterday. So thinking about that for next year. I’d like to do the Olympic distance one I did last year again, to see if I can do better now that I’ve realised you need to fuel on the bike! That’s at the end of August.

I would really love to do a full Ironman, but it would be such a massive challenge, I’m thinking next year is too soon. There is the long course weekend in Tenby where you do the swim Friday, bike Saturday and run Sunday. Could be a good intermediate.

Definitely need to enter something to motivate me to keep training!

Oh you 70.3 ladies are awesome! I’m getting the jitters about Windsor this weekend. Swimming in the Thames at 6.14am is not feeling appealing...

Reallyneedmoresleep, good luck with windsor. I just looked it up- it looks awesome! Are you doing the sprint or Olympic?

Really -under normal circumstances I wouldn't fancy being in the Thames at 6.15am either but the atmosphere will be amazing, your adrenaline will be sky high and you will love it!
Good luck!

I’m doing sprint triathlons this year - I keep thinking about stepping up to an Olympic and wouldn’t mind the bike or the run but I swim like a drifting ice berg and just can’t seem to improve despite £££ on lessons

I keep googling stepping up from half to full ironman. I'm so tempted to aim for Ironman UK (Bolton) next year. I probably need to leave it a bit longer before deciding though, let the post-race buzz subside!

Life😂😂😂 I'm the same! I think I am going to go for it next year. I'm looking at Austria or Vitoria. I'd love to do Outlaw but I need to be done with training before the school holidays.
I've decided not to do Weymouth this year as my husband pointed out that we do need some family time.
So I'm going to do a couple of sprints and focus on open water for the rest of the summer. Then work on my bike over the Autumn and proper training starts mid Jan.

Crazy stuff! Amazing what our bodies can do. I can't even begin to think how to do a marathon after 8hrs on the bike, but like you said, I never thought I'd be able to run 21k either.

I'm Welsh so I'd also like to complete Ironman Wales before I'm 50!

But all this could be the post race buzz/pride talking.....

Loving the enthusiasm people!!!!!! I was looking at doing 70.3 next year but I don’t think I’m ready. My swim really needs to improve a lot. The rest would be ok I think but the swim would set me on the back foot immediately. Another Olympic distance for me next year I reckon. If I can improve my swim by at least 5-10 mins there then maybe I’d do 70.3 for the year after.

Igot-the 70.3 swim is only 400m more than an Olympic and if you are a good cyclist you'll easily make up that time. What is your 1500m swim time?

I am slooooowww! 45 mins last year and 42 mins this year for 1500m. I’m just not a natural at it and regularly have breaststrokers for company 😆 which is nice but shows how slow I am. I am going to blame my wetsuit a little bit as I find it really restrictive (budget suit bought 18 months ago). So a new, better fitting flexible wetsuit would help but I’m not a great swimmer with or without my wetsuit! But you’re right, the swim isn’t a huge leap in distance from Olympic to 70.3. Definitely makes it feel more achievable. I’m not a brilliant cyclist or runner either but I’m not so bad at those as I am at swimming.

You’ve confused me again now 😂

I'm trying to share my post race buzz with you! Honestly 9 mths ago I had only run 5k, was cycling at 10.3mphand the furthest I'd ever swum continuously was 750m! If I can do a 70.3, anyone can if they can commit to and be consistent with the training. For the 16 weeks pre race I averaged about 9 hrs training per week- 2hrs of which was swimming.
Go on. Do a 70.3 to push yourself!

You can definitely do it bee - with the extra 400m you’d still be well within the cut off at Ironman. And there are other events without cut offs. Plus you’d have a year to train and make further improvements. This time last year I’d have laughed if you’d said I’d do a 70.3. I feel the same at the moment about a full IM, but I’ve definitely learned that we can achieve amazing things with a bit of self belief and consistent training.

Nate, I am definitely still on a post-Staffs high and I can see how it can become addictive!

You were so consistent with your training and it sounds as though you smashed your target time, so I’m sure you would be amazing at a full IM.

I don’t know whether I’ve got the time to commit to it, but I really want to! My youngest DC starts school in Sept and that will free up some time in the day where I could train (I work p/t). I don’t know whether my OH would want to do it too. It was great that we both trained and raced Staffs together, but it meant a lot of tag team parenting and I’m not sure we’d ever see each other if we both did IM in the same year. Lots to think about!

I think, from a family harmony point Of view, that I will do a 10hr a week training plan. I won't qualify for Kona on this but am really aiming just to finish...I'll get my Kona qualification another time (joke).

When would you need to start training Nate? 10 hours a week doesn’t sound too bad. I imagine it’s time on the bike that’s most important. When are the IMs you’re thinking of and what are the elevations like?

Thank you nate and life! I appreciate the encouragement. Maybe I will go for it next year. The work, life, family balance thing is a struggle though isn’t it.

The work, life, family balance thing is a struggle though isn’t it.

Yep! With bells on.

Ladies I totally recommend Royal Windsor triathlon. It was my favourite by far. Very well organised, fantastic course and just beautiful (if a little steep) yo run (plod) round the castle. The swim was ace - just got in the river and drifted down with the current!

Moresleep, I love the idea of drifting down with the current... Sounds like an amazing race!